Tied By Fate
by xdee13x
Summary: Sacrificing the girl she loved was the hardest thing she has ever had to do, but Max never realized that the aftermath would be that much harder. It's been three years and she still can't forget or forgive herself for sacrificing Chloe on that cliff all those years ago. Now living in Seattle for college, Max finds that a familiar face may be what she needs. [eventual Chasefield]
1. A Second Beginning

A/N: The first chapter is from Max's point of view. It's been three years since Blackwell and she is attending community college in the Seattle area. Starts off kind of slow, seeing how Max has been handling (or not handling) herself in the aftermath of Arcadia Bay before re-introducing our favorite Queen. Will eventually be very very Chasefield yes yes.

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Chapter One: A Second Beginning

What even was the concept of 'sleep'? Max was pretty much convinced that tired was ingrained into her personality at this point.

This week had been extra rough considering the late winter storm that hit the state, not that sleeping had really been an easy task for her. Everyday this past week was spent on edge- each flash of lightning, the roar of thunder, the howling winds against her creaky apartment window sent her nerves ablaze. She turned again quickly, twisting the sheets and knocking the comforter to the floor. A soft groan escaped her lips and her brow furrowed as she fought with the demons that plagued her mind. Then, just as she thought the torment would never end, a loud crash of thunder sent her body shooting straight up.

"CHLOE! NO!"

A single hand reached forward and, had the storm outside not escalated, her voice would have shook her small studio apartment. There she sat frozen and in a daze before she noticed the hand outstretched before her. That same hand that held so much power before, the hand that had helped her save Chloe over and over again, the same hand that ultimately allowed her to die. It made her head throb just thinking about it, what did she expect to happen now? Her powers were still gone and so was her best friend. Slowly her fingers curled to form a tight fist and she dropped her hand to the bed with a defeated sigh.

 _Chloe isn't here, stupid. It was just another nightmare.._

Max took a deep, shaky breath before running a hand through her hair, her dull blue eyes drifting over towards the door as she did. She half expected her parents to come rushing in at any moment to comfort her. They had become quite accustomed to her nightmares after she'd moved back home from Arcadia Bay. After another moment of snapping back to reality she realized of course they wouldn't come, she moved out for a reason after all, she couldn't keep being their burden to bear. Her eyes shifted towards the nightstand where her phone laid, silent and dormant and she contemplated for just a second before reprimanding herself.

 _You're fine, Max. You can't keep relying on your parents to come save the day when you have your little meltdowns. You have to deal with this yourself._

Groaning again she fell back against the bed with a hard plop just as the clouds outside began their downpour. The torrent of rain caused another chill to roll down Max's spine. Rain always reminded her of that day, the last day she spent with Chloe. She felt a lump forming in her throat and she quickly reached over to hit the home button on her phone, illuminated the screen and cringing when she saw the time.

 _Yikes. 7:16 am. Well, it doesn't look like I'll be falling asleep again anytime soon. Maybe I'll go get some breakfast at Star Cafe near school. Distractions, I need distractions so I can focus._

Quickly she slipped out of bed, the hardwood was freezing against her feet so she half skipped half sprinted over to the bathroom where the tile wasn't much comfort either. In thirty minutes she managed to shower, brush her teeth, get dressed, and get ready. On her way out the door she grabbed her bag first, and then an umbrella before taking a quick glance at herself in the mirror which caused her to grimace.

 _Wow, Max. You look like a wreck. It's a good thing you aren't seeing mom or dad today, they'd definitely know something was up. 7:36am. The cafe should be opening now._

With another heavy sigh she opened the door and stepped out before opening the umbrella and then locking the door behind her. Silently she prayed that the thunder and lightning were gone before she started her walk down the street. The cafe where she usually started her mornings was only a couple of blocks away, then she could probably distract herself at the school library for the rest of the day, at least, until her nerves had calmed themselves. That had been Max Caufield's life for the last three years, doing anything to distract her from her life, from her cold reality.

Even though it was pretty early, there were a few others who walked along the on sidewalk. They scurried by quickly, paying the half-dead college student no mind as they made their way to class or work or where ever. Once Max has arrived at the cafe she entered slowly, leaving her wet umbrella by the door before approaching the counter. They had just opened so it appeared she was the first customer of the day.

"Uh.. one coffee and a chocolate chip muffin please."

"Sure, that'll be $5.50, please." The girl smiled sweetly as Max reached into her pocket and pulled out the exact amount, handing it to her. Once the money had fallen into her hand, she giggled softly, "Thanks. It's Max, right? I'll bring it out to you in a minute, the coffee should almost be finished brewing."

"Yeah, thanks." Max said quickly, the mention of her name caused her eyes to shoot up quickly from the ground to the woman behind the counter. Once they made eye contact, the other girl gave her a quick wink before walking off.

 _Did she just..? No.. you're just seeing things._

Max shook it off before turning to survey the room. After a moment to weigh her options she sat on one of the couches near the window. Once she sunk into the worn fabric of the couch, she looked through her bag, pulling out her journal. Lately it had become more of a sketchbook, she found herself doodling her surroundings and experiences rather than writing about them. Placing one earbud in, she cranked up the music before slowly starting to draw the details of the cafe around her. Usually she stopped at this place when she was on her way to classes, it was rare that she had enough to time to just sit and relax.

She was focusing harder now as she drew the details of the countertop, even stopping to quickly sketch the girl who took her order while she took another person's order. She was probably imagining it, but she could swear that she caught the other girl glancing over to watch her a few times. Still Max's brow furrowed softly as she started to focus more on the girl's features, pausing for a moment before using slow, precise strokes to get her lips _just right._

"That's not bad."

Max jumped a little in her seat before looking up to see a cup of coffee and the muffin she ordered being placed on the small table in front of her. Before she could react she felt a hand place itself slowly, cautiously on her shoulder.

"Wow. Is _that_ how you see this run down old place? Almost makes me proud to work here.." Max smiled at the compliment, but didn't say anything. She was too busy focusing on the warmth that enveloped her shoulder.

"Can I try?" The mysterious barista suddenly asked, waiting patiently before Max slowly nodded her head, handing her the pencil before handing her the journal. As soon as the contact left her shoulder, Max let out a shallow breath before glancing up.

It only took a moment before someone from the back shouted, "Sarah, you have a customer!"

"Oops.." The shorter girl muttered softly, shooting an annoyed look in the direction of the voice before closing the book and handing everything back to Max. "Sorry, I have to go, but thanks for letting me draw." She winked again before returning to her job.

 _Okay, I definitely wasn't seeing things this time.._

Reaching for her coffee, she took a sip of it before flipping her journal open again to the unfinished drawing of the cafe. When she reached the page, she felt her eyes widen slightly and a surge of heat rush up her face. There was a quick doodle of her sitting in one of the couches with the words "Max AKA Freckled Cutie" written next to it with an arrow.. that and the the words "Call me" followed by ten numbers.

 _Wowsers._

The rest of her breakfast was spent in silence. As soon as she put her journal away, she ate her muffin before sitting and staring out the window for a few more minutes. The rain seemed to be letting up, so she decided it was probably a good time to leave before another downpour started. She thought about saying bye to her new admirer, but there was a long line at the counter now and as soon as she drummed up the courage for it, she felt the heat rise to her cheeks again and chickened out.

 _Let's be honest. She'd be better off not knowing me anyway.._

Opening her umbrella again she made her way out onto the sidewalk, heading towards the school for a couple of blocks before a poster caught her attention.

New Gallery Opening, March 2nd.  
Doors open at 7pm.  
On the corner of 2nd and Market Street.

 _That's right around the corner from here._

Max felt her eyebrow quirk before she took out her cellphone, snapping a picture of the poster before she started walking towards it's actual destination. It couldn't hurt to scope out the place, if it looked interesting she could come back later.

Once she began to cross the street towards the designated corner she took a quick look at her phone again to confirm the address. Just as she stepped up onto the curb, a car flew by hitting one of the puddles and sending a wave of water the small brunette's direction. The water drenched her clothes sending a slew of profanities from her mouth as she jumped away as far as she could.

 _Smooth, Max.. what a jackass. He had to have seen me walking there._

She frowned to herself before suddenly becoming very aware of just how cold it was outside as the wind began picking up again. Closing her cheap umbrella, she shoved it in the pocket of her bag figuring she was already soaked so there was no point in carrying it around. Just as she reached up to wipe the wet, tangled mess of hair from her face, there was a flash in the sky, followed by a loud crash of thunder.

The sound immediately sends a wave of fear through her body, causing her muscles to seize and panic to hit her chest hard like a boulder. Breathing suddenly became difficult and she squeezes her eyes shut, turning around and taking a few steps backwards until her back hits the cold concrete wall.

 _No.. Not here.. Not now.. Please.. Chloe.. Someone.. Help me.._

Max opens her eyes to look around but her vision is already blurring, her head is throbbing and it brings back all the memories of using her rewind powers all those years ago. Another wave of panic hits her when she realizes she's alone and crippled on the side of the road and she slides down the side of the wall, her face buried in her hands and a stream of tears falling down her face. Defeated. Weak. Afraid.

 _Why, why now?_

"H-hey, are you alright?"

The voice sounds far away and Max has trouble hearing their footsteps through the buzzing in her ears. But as the person grows nearer, she feels herself tense up again.

"I'm here, okay? Just let me know if you need anything.."

The person is standing, no, crouching right beside her now. They don't make an effort to move her or touch her, but their voice is soft and reassuring. A female voice, it sounds kind of familiar too.

It only takes a few more minutes for Max to calm herself, her shoulders slumping as she releases a ragged breath. It's painful, it burns her chest, but she feels like she needs to expel the negativity from her body.

"Is it okay if I touch you now? I can help you get inside, you'll get sick if you stay out here any longer.."

Max took a deep breath before nodding her head slowly. Once she tore her face from her hands, she heard a soft gasp before she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

" _Max?_ Max Caufield, is that you? Itis you. _Shit_ , come on, let's go inside you're fucking soaked."

Hearing her name surprised her but not as much as what she saw when she turned her head to see her savior.

 _Victoria Chase?!_

The lump in her throat kept her from saying anything, so instead she just stared at the other in disbelief. Carefully the taller girl held onto her arm, guiding her up and steadying her before she reached in her pocket for some keys. Once the door was open she helped Max inside before locking the door and helping her up the stairs into her living room.

It had been three years since she'd seen the elite former Queen Bee of Blackwell. This was the last place she'd expect to run into her, sure Seattle was a major city, but she expect her to be off pursuing her photography career in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo or something. Suddenly she found herself distracted by the taller girl, the way her face remained so professional, so composed aside from the slight worried furrow of her brow.

Once the warmth of the apartment hit her, Max snapped back into reality, a new wave of strength flowing through her veins allowing her to finally vocalize her surprise.

"V-Victoria..? Wh-What are you doing here? Is that really you..?"


	2. Reunited and It Feels So Weird

**A/N:** This chapter is from Victoria's point of view. This is my first time writing these two and I'm really trying to get a feel for both of them. Sorry it took so long. I wrote it all then deleted it cuz I hated it and then started over :P

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 **Chapter Two: Reunited and It Feels So Weird**

"V-Victoria..? Wh-What are you doing here? Is that really you..?"

Max stumbles a little over her own clumsy feet so naturally Victoria reaches out to firmly grab hold of her arm.

 _What kind of question- Clearly she's still an idiot._

"Of _course_ it's me, Caufield, who the hell else would I be?" She scoffs as her other hand immediately finds it's place at her hip.

In a swift motion she leads the shorter girl to the bedroom where she finds a clean towel and some dry clothes and quickly shoves it all into the confused girl's arms.

"The bathroom is just around the corner, second door to the right. Dry off and change then meet me out in the living room. I'm going to change as well."

Before Max could object, Victoria closed the door in her face with a soft thud. Once she heard the brunette's soft footsteps and the bathroom door creak to a close, Victoria let out the breath she'd been holding.

 _Of all people to run into today, Maxine-fucking-Caufield had to just appear out of the blue.. And right in front of my new apartment and soon to be gallery._

"What are the odds?" She mumbled to herself a moment before heading over to her closet and examining her wardrobe. Her clothes had gotten wet when she crouched down to help Max up, she couldn't very well stay in wet smelly clothes on the big day of her gallery opening.

After changing she towel dried her hair the best she could, her short pixie cut only took a few minutes to dry, and when she finally felt presentable again she made her way out to the living room.

 _Just how long has it been? Two.. no, three years._

The corners of her lips curved downward and she stopped short of the living room, hiding herself in the hallway still to gather her thoughts.

 _I- I didn't think this through. Of course she has some mixed feelings about seeing me here. Max and I weren't exactly on good terms after graduation when she left Blackwell in such a hurry. What did I expect? Some sort of big happy Max Caufield hippie hug or something..?_

Her frown only deepened as she brought a hand up to her chin with an aggravated sigh.

 _That day wasn't exactly the highlight of my Blackwell experience. Although I have no room to complain. Max lost the most out of everyone, it was almost like she'd lost everything in that span of that one hellish week._

Turning the corner, Victoria put on her best smile to which Max reflected just as easily before sitting down on the couch beside the shorter girl. She had to resist straining her face, something about that smile was different than she remembered. Where was that light that Victoria remembered, that annoyingly hopeful glow she used to exude? Plus the bags under her eyes were so dark that Victoria could easily assume that Max hadn't slept in days.

 _She went through more than any of us. I wonder if it still bothers her..?_

She couldn't help but frown at the thought. She remembered all those nights at Blackwell when she would return to her room only to hear screaming dissolve into soft sniffling and the pained sobs from behind the door just across from her.

 _All those times.. I could have helped her. I should have. Maybe then things would have been different, maybe then she wouldn't look so-_

"Uh- Hey, Victoria?"

The shorter girl's soft voice broke her out of her train of thought.

"Yes?"

"Thanks.. For helping me back there." Max's hand rose to rub the back of her neck sheepishly, "To be honest, you're last person I'd expect to see around here, the last person I'd expect to get help from.."

 _Ouch._

Why did that make her chest hurt _ever-so-slightly_? She swallowed thickly before opening her mouth to retaliate, venom prepared to send forth from her tongue, but it appeared Max wasn't finished with her train of thought.

"But honestly I feel kind of.. relieved to see you. It's been a while, huh?" A slow smile spread across the shorter girl's lips, a genuine smile, it was almost like before.

Almost.

"It has been a while." Victoria sighed softly, leaning back against the couch.

 _Calm yourself, Victoria. There's no need for the walls. She's confused and shocked, but she is actually happy to see you, it's clear as day._

"I would ask how you are doing, but that question seems inappropriate considering the pathetic state I found you in."

 _Wha- No. Fuck. That isn't helpful at all.. Why did I just-_

Before she could backtrack and correct herself, the smile on Max's face faded almost as quickly as it had appeared. Her gaze retreated from the taller girls face and Victoria inwardly cursed at herself for being callous.

"I- I'm sorry you had to see that.." Max's eyes filled with sadness and a weight settled on her shoulders.

"There's no need to apologize. What with all the stress of moving and opening a new gallery downstairs, I've had my fair share of panic attacks this month. I'm just glad I could be of some service."

Again, her statement came out a bit more nonchalant than she would have liked, but it seemed to make the hipster crack a slight smile again.

"Opening a gallery, huh? I knew I had a good feeling about seeing that flyer and coming to check it out. Guess my gut was right."

"I don't want to know about what your guts are thinking, Lamefield."

 _Oops.. Guess old habits really do die hard._

Her words have an odd effect on the girl beside her, first Max's eyes widened a little and she grew silent but then a soft chuckle escaped her lips and soon she was.. laughing. It was soft at first but soon it shook her whole body, then it became contagious, causing Victoria to laugh a bit also.

"Sorry, that slipped. I really didn't mean it."

"It's okay. It's just- Wowsers. I haven't been called that in forever. Believe it or not, it was actually kind of nice."

This caused Victoria's eyes to widen just slightly, focusing now on the redness of Max's cheeks and they way it made her freckles pop out. Suddenly her face felt hot too and she reached a hand up to fake adjust her hair, hiding her own face best she could without making it too obvious.

 _She really hasn't changed as much as I thought..._

"Well _don't_ get too used to 'nice'. As I've expressed to you before, reputation is everything in the art world."

"Of course, Victoria, I remember."

The wide smirk that now played on the shorter girl's lips made Victoria's stomach do a backflip. But still she felt relieved, at least the other girl's smile wasn't a facade anymore.

"Anyway, where were you headed before I found you?"

"To the library, I was going to do some reading. Maybe get a head start on this next quarter."

To this, Victoria raised an eyebrow.

"School around here doesn't start for another two months, aren't you on vacation?"

"Yeah, but.."

"I can't believe it. You really are still lame." Victoria sighs and this elicits another chuckle from the brunette.

"Anyway, I'm just glad to have a distraction. Ever since I decided to move back to Seattle it seems like I just can't catch a break. The moving truck arrived a week later than I did, so I barely got everything unpacked yesterday. Then the landlord who owns this building forgot to make me a copy of the gallery key, so I had to rush to prepare for today. Then there's my parents.."

Victoria cuts herself off as soon as she realizes she's started rambling and she shoots Max an apologetic look.

"Sorry, you probably don't want to hear any of this.."

Just as soon as she apologizes, she feels Max's hand on her knee, giving it a soft squeeze.

"I don't mind. You're a real busy person, it can't be good to keep all that in."

She found herself smiling again, Max had always been a good listener. Even back at Blackwell when they weren't necessarily the best of friends. The few times that they had spoken, she noticed Max was always attentive, always so caring.

"It's just frustrating. I was doing well on my own in New York the last couple of years, I met some influential people and even got to showcase my work at a few of the big galleries there. But as fun and exciting city life was, it was taking quite a toll on my health- mentally and physically. When I heard there was a spot opening up in the heart of my hometown, I jumped on the chance to come back. My parents see it as a waste of time, like I failed and I'm running back home with my tail between my legs. They've all but disowned me. At least publicly anyway.."

Her explanation came out as nonchalant as she could manage. Sure, it hurt that her own parents thought she was a failure, locked her out of her own childhood home, and pretty much wanted nothing to do with her.

 _A Chase settles for nothing but the best.. And you are far from the best._

She rolled her eyes as she inwardly mocked the tone of her mother before glancing back over at Max, who was looking at her, eyes filled with concern.

"It's nothing I can't handle, Caufield. My parents have always been assholes, I've just learned to accept that nothing I do will ever be good enough for them. Now that I've had time to be on my own and focus on myself, I know how to be happy without them."

"That's good that you're able to be happy on your own, but who knows? Maybe they'll change their minds and come see your opening tonight?" A small smile spreads across the hipster's lips.

A dry chuckle manages to escape the taller girl's throat.

"I appreciate your glass-half-full attitude, but my parents wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near here. They've already voiced their opinion about me coming back and because I went against their wishes, they will make it a point not to support me."

This made Max's smile slowly disappear, while Victoria managed another small chuckle before quickly standing and changing the subject.

"Anyway, enough with the sob stories. How about I make some hot chocolate and some snacks, then we can watch a movie. I like to lounge around and relax a little before an opening event."

The request seemed to surprise her guest, because Max's face immediately flares up and her eyes shoot up to meet Victoria's.

"That sounds nice.. but are you sure I'm not interrupting or anything? I can leave if you'd rather have some alone time before your big night-"

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want you to stay, Max."

 _Shit._

Victoria's sentence came out a little quicker than she would have liked causing the heat to rush her face all the way to the tips of her ears. Of course, Max noticed and a sly smirk takes over the features of her face.

"Wow, Victoria. I didn't realize you liked having me around so much." She teased.

Victoria simply put her head in her hands as she quickly retreated away to the kitchen.

"Oh for fucks sake. Shut up, Caufield.."


End file.
